Segregation
by Wusai
Summary: Lilith has spread the idea of Adepts being better in every way than non-Adepts. People of Lilla support that idea, while people of Vale are against it. Who can stop Lilith? The Saviors of Weyward, naturally. It might be harder than they think, though…


**Segregation**   
by Wusai 

    **Author's Notes**: I've been fooling around with this idea for a while, and rescued it before it fell into the trash bin. Thing is, I'm not very good at keeping my chaptered fics alive. Moreso, I'm adding in two original characters that I'm afraid will become MS's. They have no romantic relationship with the canonical characters (only between themselves), but they do have power… *shrugs* I'll try to keep them in check. 

    **Dedicated to**: Lobsters (lobstersAHOY). I know… You people who've read Ply are probably thinking, "What? Again?" Well, Lobsters helped me a lot, and plus, she's like… my only friend who is obsessed with Golden Sun as much as I am. 

    **Plot**: Lilith has spread the idea of Adepts being better in every way than non-Adepts. People of Lilla support that idea, while people of Vale are against it. Who can stop Lilith? The Saviors of Weyward, naturally. It might be harder than they think, though… 

    **Writing Styles Absorbed**: _Full Circle_ and _Dark Side of Light_ by Maya and _Angels & Demons_ by Dan Brown. What do you mean, 'absorbed'? Well, when I read something, I tend to absorb the style. 

    **Hints Of**: Lilith » Altair, Isaac x Ivan, Alex » Mia. _Hints_ of. I refuse to make romance a biggie in this fic. 

    **I Would Appreciate**: Constructive criticism is topping my wishlist. Next comes reviews with more than one line of text. Third, flames _with a point to make_. Fourth comes reviews saying "omg awexxome!!1!one!". Lastly, flames with no point. 

**:·~§~·:**

    _True peace and equality can never be obtained._

    Carefully and lovingly sculpted clay shattered on the stone floor. 

    "You… will never be on my level." 

    Tears. Altair observed from the shadows, impartial. His slate-blue hair continuously fell into his red eyes, and he blew it off to the side with a puff of air from the side of his mouth, only to have it fall again into his eyes. He often considered burning his hair with a fireball, but decided that was unwise. Before him, Lilith strode through the tiny town, smirking whenever a child offered her a gift. Children with fear in their eyes. Lilith 'dropped' a meticulously hand-blown glass dragon onto the ground again, tossing her mane of crimson hair back with an air of arrogance. Only when he was barely able to see Lilith did Altair stop leaning on the wall to follow her, making sure to try and stay as invisible as possible. He didn't enjoy public gatherings. 

    The two reached the exit of the town. Lilith turned back to look at the bustling town, the townspeople nervously shifting their gaze when they met Lilith's gaze. 

    "Look at this, Altair. Surely Karst and Menardi would be so proud if they could see this." Her face hardened. "I swear I will get that Isaac back when I can. I don't want to fall into the same fate as Karst, however…" 

    "Mm," Altair agreed halfheartedly. He and Lilith Teleported back to Lilla, but not before glimpsing the amazed looks of the townspeople… Awed by the miracles they worked so easily. 

    Lilla was a town—more accurately, a bustling city—of twice the population of Tolbi and perhaps twice the area of Vale. Filled with Adepts, it lay on the other side of Mount Aleph, and was recently constructed in a short span of only two years with the help of Alchemy. Rivers were made and unmade, bridges built, and Lilla was unanimously declared the capital of Adepts. People of Vale were constantly at nonviolent wars with the people of Lilla, as their views were like black and white. The people of Lilla, because of their leader Lilith, believed themselves to be superior to non-Adepts, and the people of Vale, with their undeclared leader Isaac, believed themselves to be the same as non-Adepts, and tried to help those people as much as possible. 

    Surrounding Lilla was a large, stone wall. The gates were made of bronze, the vertical bars curved like an inverted 'u', topped with spikes. Guarding the gates were two guards, naturally—guards who could spot whether or not a visitor was an Adept. The buildings of Lilla were made of blocks of granite, all the same shape and size. In the center of Lilla there was a fountain similar to those in Tolbi and Lemuria, except for the fact that Lucky Medals landing in the center granted the thrower a new bit of Psynergy. The largest street in Lilla was lined with shops, and it led to the stairs leading to the Lilla Palace, where Lilith resided. Altair preferred to live in a small house in the one and only secluded corner in the whole city. Psynergy was used everywhere, for use in difficult tasks such as moving large and heavy things, to tasks as simple as turning a page in a book. 

    "So… Altair, will you join me for a cup of tea this afternoon?" Lilith asked. Tea was a daily break which she never missed, but often enjoyed alone. 

    "No," Altair replied in his straightforward manner. Lilith smiled. 

    "So are you busy, or do you just want to be alone?" she asked, tilting her head, allowing her red hair to fall freely. He rolled his eyes inwardly—she'd be making subtle advances on him since the beginning of time. 

    "The latter." 

    "You keep it up and you'll be dubbed the recluse of Lilla," Lilith said jokingly. 

    "I'm not already?" 

    Lilith giggled. "Well, I'll be off to tea now. If you change your mind, you're always welcome!" 

    "Mm." 

    Lilith strode up the even steps and practically barged into Lilla Palace. She did that not because she enjoyed being loud, but because it alerted every non-Adept servant of her presence, making them wait on her hand and foot. 

    "Mistress Lilith?" She turned to look at the mail carrier, whom had his head bowed. His hair was greying. "You have a letter from Conservato." 

    "Another one? I'll bet it's another proposal," she commented, amused, as a non-Adept servant took off her cape and hung it on a coat rack. Ever since Lilla and the idea that Adepts were better than non-Adepts were established roughly five years ago, Conservato had been sending letters nonstop at a rate of about one per week. Each held a proposal to change something in favor of Adepts, some reasonable, some outrageous. Lilith strode to the tea room, a small room in the southwest wing of Lilla Palace. She sat elegantly in one of the equally elegant velvet chairs, picking up her cup of tea and gently blowing on it to cool it down before drinking it. Chrysanthemum tea today. Not exactly her favorite, but she enjoyed the sweet taste nonetheless. 

    She carefully opened the letter and scanned over it quickly. Another outrageous and unreasonable proposal. Yes, Adepts were better than non-Adepts, but asking them to bow every time an Adept walked past them was a bit much. Even Lilith had her limits. Besides, everyone knew that non-Adepts couldn't tell whether or not a person was an Adept even if he or she tap-danced nakedly on their nose. She sipped a bit more of her tea, then set the cup down onto its saucer. A moment afterwards, there came a knock on the door. 

    "What?" she asked loudly. "Come in." 

    One of her many butlers peeked his head into the room. "Mistress, you have a guest." 

    "Who is it?" 

    "An Adept, for one thing. He says his name is… Alex. Would you like for me to invite him in here?" 

    _Alex? The one who worked with Menardi_ and _Karst_? "Yes. Immediately." 

    It seemed as though there wasn't any gap of time between the butler's fading steps away from the room and his steps coming towards the room. She wasn't expecting Alex to be alive—if he were the same Alex. She tried not to get her hopes up, in case it wasn't… 

    "Lilith, is it?" 

    Lilith nearly jumped. She could've sworn Alex was outside the door… but then she remembered that he had the ability to warp any distance. She quickly pasted on a smile. 

    "Yes. You are Alex?" 

    "Indeed I am." He smiled. "Would you care if I joined you for tea?" 

    "No, not at all. In fact, you're the first person to join me for tea for…" She paused, counting in her head. "Three years? I'm unsure. Altair never wants to join me for tea, for some strange reason. Then again, he _is_ strange." 

    "I suppose." Alex sat and poured himself a cup of tea, refilling Lilith's cup in the process. "I see that you are the root cause of all this change." 

    "Thank you. You say 'change' as though it's a bad thing." 

    "Did I? I must apologize. I do agree that Adepts are better than non-Adepts, by the way." 

    "Wonderful." Lilith took another sip of tea. "From what I heard of that girl Mia, you seemed to have fallen with Mount Aleph… What happened?" 

    "Let's just say that change is inevitable. And change I did." 

    Lilith raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you say it that way… What are you here for?" 

    "Only to let you know that yes, I am alive, and that I'm not against you in any way. Oh, and also to join you for tea." His eyes sparkled. Lilith grinned. 

    "Wonderful." 

**:·~§~·:**

    Vale had been rebuilt after the collapse of Mount Aleph. It still looked the same, and seemed as though it was caught in the Stone Age compared to Lilla. Isaac, Dora, and Kyle still live in a moderately-sized house. Garet's grandfather, the Mayor, was at the incredible age of ninety-three and still had the energy of a seventy-year-old. People joked that Garet would never become Mayor of Vale, and he always replies that, in truth, he doesn't want to be. Felix and Jenna, along with their parents, have rebuilt their home—complete with a rail around the dock. Only about a hundredth of Kraden's books survived, but he obtained twice his original amount. It being a summer day with nothing to do, Mia and Ivan both came to visit. 

    Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia were lying down under the shade of one of Vale's many trees. A Nut swayed lazily in the breeze on the branch above Garet, and he lazily 'stole' the Catch Beads from Isaac and used them to try to get the Nut. Ivan was amusing himself by casting tiny Whirlwinds to blow the branch out of Catch's range, infuriating Garet. Not that he would get up and get it. He was too lazy. Mia, on the other hand, noticing how lazily mad Garet was getting, occasionally cast Frost on him to 'cool him down'. Of course, she blamed it on Ivan—He had the Frost Jewel, after all. 

    "Ivan, will you please stop fooling around and let me get that Nut?" Garet whined. All four of them were around twenty-two years old, but often still acted like kids. 

    "Why?" Ivan asked, then yawned. 

    "Come on, Ivan, be nice," Mia said, then cast Frost on Garet again. 

    "Ivan! For God's sake, would you stop Frosting me?!" 

    "But I'm _not_!" Ivan whined. 

    "Who else would?!" 

    "Maybe Mia did!" 

    "_Mia_? She wouldn't do that!" 

    "Yes she would." 

    "Alex is alive." 

    "No he's—What? Isaac, was that you?" 

    Garet turned to look at Isaac, who nodded. Mia jumped up suddenly. 

    "_Alex_? He's _alive_?!" She had an undelivered slap to the face she needed to give him. "Where is he?" 

    "With Lilith, I think." Isaac's gaze followed the clouds. Mia looked in the direction where Lilla lay. She hated that place… but if Alex was there… 

    "I'm leaving," she said. "If Alex is alive… and if he's as close as Lilla… I have some unfinished business with him." 

    "Do what you will," Ivan said. "Do you want anyone to go with you? Garet?" Ivan lazily cast another tiny Whirlwind at the branch. If Garet was gone, Ivan could get the Nut. And if Garet were gone, the place would be a lot quieter. With just Ivan and Isaac. 

    "No." Well, that got rid of the quiet option. "I'll go alone." 

    "Are you sure? Alex… or Lilith, for that matter… might get violent. Are you sure you don't want someone to go with you? Garet, for instance?" 

    "I'm sure. Thanks for your concern." Mia strode off, blue ponytail swishing from side to side. Before she got out of range, however, she cast Frost again, then smiled. 

    "Goddammit Ivan! Stop it!" 

**:·~§~·:**

    Mia strode quickly to Lilla, attacking and slaying any monster that crossed her path with her Tungsten Mace. Within an hour of attempting to avoid forests and staying on the dirt path, she'd reached the high gates of Lilla. Two guards stood on either side of the gate, wielding spears. She stepped up to enter Lilla, but the guards crossed their spears before her. 

    "Did you come from Vale?" the guard on the left asked. 

    "Yes," Mia replied, then realized her mistake a second too late. 

    "Valeans are not allowed to enter. Please leave now," the guard on the right said firmly. Mia knew that she wouldn't be able to overtake both of them even if she wanted to. She walked around the tall walls of Lilla, trying to find a way in. It was too bad that Ivan had the Cloak Ball… She'd circled the walls about five times before she saw a small plant near the base of one of the walls. 

    _Hmm_… She and Ivan had recently been trading around Djinn and experimenting with classes. Ivan happened to have many Venus Djinn from his previous Djinn trade with Isaac. Mia was now a Shaman. Ivan had taught her about the new Psynergy she'd gotten, one being a handy one called Growth, which she decided to use now on the plant, and it grew quickly into a thick vine on the side of the wall. _Perfect_. She scampered up the vine and dropped lightly into Lilla. _Now to find Alex_. She looked up and down the street, but there was no sign of the fellow blue-nette. _If he's with Lilith_… She ran to the main path and figured that it probably led up to Lilla Palace. She looked up the street, but still didn't see him. _Maybe he's inside_. She climbed the stairs two at a time, and when she was at the top, the doors opened to reveal Alex, who bowed to the butlers before heading down the main path. He saw Mia, who just stood frozen. She stared at Alex; he hadn't changed a bit in five years. 

    "Mia. What brings you here, my dear?" Alex asked, smiling. Mia frowned and slapped him across the face so that his face swung to the side. Alex seemed shocked for a moment, then looked back at Mia, still smiling. 

    "Might I inquire as to what that was for, my dear?" 

    "Don't… call… me… my… dear…!" Mia said slowly and deliberately, seething with anger. "You _know_ what that was for! You betrayed our… _my_… clan! You…" 

    "Bastard?" Alex suggested, unfazed. 

    "Yes," Mia spat. 

    "Come now, Mia. Why don't we forgive and forget? The lighthouses are lit, and we can't un-light them. Look at what Alchemy has done! This wonderful city was built in a span of two years. Wouldn't you classify that as amazing?" Alex looked down at Mia. She was still about half a head or a head shorter than him. 

    "This city? This city of Adepts practically worshipping Lilith and her… her… _evil_ beliefs? Alex! Surely you don't believe her ideas?" 

    Alex shrugged and looked off into the distance. "Who can say what the truth is…" 

    "I… Alex… You…" Mia frowned again, then spun on her heel and made to storm away from Lilla, but Alex grabbed her shoulder. 

    "Mia… look up." 

    "Why?" 

    "Just do it. Please." 

    Mia looked up to see dark clouds shadowing the sky. _Oh, great_. 

    "A storm's coming up. Surely you know that it would be unwise to travel in one?" 

    "Alex," Mia began. "Vale is only about an hour away from here. Plus, I'm a Mercury Adept. Surely water wouldn't affect me." 

    Alex stared piercingly at her. "Don't travel in a storm, Mia. Please. I… would worry too much for your safety." 

    _Alex? Worry about my safety_? Mia hesitated, then sighed, defeated. "If… you insist." 

    "Well… Actually, Mia, if you despise this town so much, I could teleport you back to Vale…" Alex said, slowly. 

    "_You_? Do you have any clue what they would think if they saw you with me? I'd rather stay in this despicable town than have Isaac and the others see _you_ with me. And don't you think Garet would take any given opportunity to attack or harm you?" 

    "So you do care." Alex smiled. Mia glared at him. 

    "I don't care about _you_. I care for my reputation, thank you very much." 

    "Both ways, let's go to the Inn to rest, if it doesn't bother you." 

    "I am _not_ sharing a room with you," Mia stated firmly. Alex laughed. 

    "As if I were to suggest that. Come on. The storm's going to be here soon." 

**:·~§~·:**

    "Come on, Ouranos, surely you can use some of those powers?" 

    "Hey! Look who's talking!" 

    Ouranos closed his eyes and grunted, trying to Move the stump. He knew that he was to concentrate and use mental energy… but how? He attempted to concentrate harder, but only resulted in a pounding headache and a further irritation towards his training. 

    "Sean… Can _you_ use Psynergy?" 

    "Well…" Sean closed his eyes and murmured under his breath. A ghostly hand nudged at the stump before disappearing. The stump hadn't moved, though… Sean opened his eyes. "Let's put it this way: I can, but not well." 

    Ouranos frowned. "What is it that I'm not doing correctly? Do I need to mutter stuff like you? Or…" Ouranos' frown changed into a grin. "Do I need to get hit in the head with a rock?" 

    Sean smiled, grey eyes twinkling. He picked up a rock from the ground and dropped it on Ouranos' head. "Can you do Psynergy now?" 

    Ouranos grumbled and rubbed his head. "Hmm. Let's see." He closed his eyes again—rather, squeezed them shut—and concentrated, but to no avail. "No. But really, Sean, does muttering stuff like you do help?" 

    Sean shrugged. "All I mutter are just random words, chants, phrases, whatever… To tell you the truth, Ouranos, I think you're just too…" He paused, searching for the right word. "_Brawny_ and… lacking brains… to do Psynergy." 

    "Hey! That's mean. But really, I'd like to learn Psynergy… Remember when Isaac fought that giant monster? That Kraken thing? That was amazing… They perform Psynergy so easily… And if we want to avoid Lilith, then we'd _have_ to know Psynergy…" Ouranos sighed, then closed his eyes again, thinking about nothing in particular. He suddenly felt a strange sensation, as though energy from his mind was leaving him… 

    "Ouranos! Open your eyes, look." 

    Ouranos opened his eyes at Sean's exclamation. The stump had moved about an inch—maybe an inch and a half. Ouranos' eyes widened. 

    "Amazing…" He turned to look at Sean. "I should hope it wasn't that rock…" 

    Sean laughed. "Well, you probably pulled together that wee bit of brainpower you had and actually _used_ it. I'm proud of you, Ouranos. I think that's enough for today; let's go." 

    "Are you sure you don't want to train?" Ouranos grinned. "I moved the stump more than _you_ did." 

    "Shh. Come on, let's go rest." 

**:·~§~·:**

    Lemuria has become the thriving civilization it has once been, though its climb upward has been delayed by the lazy inhabitants. The Senate, along with Conservato, was bitter because of the fact that they were indeed wrong, but enjoy thinking up proposals to send to Lilith. No doubt all of the old geezers were trying to woo her. Piers has gone back to Lemuria and has received a warm welcome—mostly because he was the only person in Lemuria who was not acting lazy. 

    Felix, Jenna, and Sheba had sailed to Lemuria, taking the western shortcut instead of the usual whirlpool route. They were helping Piers expand and rebuild some of Lemuria, mainly the crumbling buildings and bridges. 

    "Piers… Did King Hydros tell you anything about Lilith? I mean… How did she build such a large following in such a short time?" Sheba asked, attempting to use Whirlwind to carry a block, but failing miserably. 

    "Indeed he has. The truth is, Sheba, this idea isn't exactly new. I'm sure it's lurked in the minds of many Adepts, and Lilith has just brought the idea to life," Piers replied, using Carry. 

    "Lilith… She's just like Menardi and Karst," Jenna said, bitterly. 

    "No," Felix said, pausing from his work, face hardened. "I may not have liked Menardi, but I know that this isn't the world she'd have wanted to see. Same with Karst—I doubt this was what they were aiming for." 

    "But this mindset… It's so… _wrong_!" Sheba exclaimed. She dropped the block for the millionth time. Irritated, she took the Lift Gem from Piers. "Isn't there a way to stop it?" 

    "Well…" Felix began. "I suppose we could try to topple those cities that majorly support Lilith… But, the thing is, if we use Adepts to do that, it's only going to further prove her point…" 

    "So what are you suggesting?" Jenna asked. She was sitting back lazily, letting monsters do the work for her. Another handy reason to use the Trainer's Whip. "That we use non-Adepts to accomplish that? Isn't that kind of… Impossible? I mean, Briggs wasn't exactly that tough or hard to beat, you know!" 

    "Hmm… But that's the only way we can accomplish anything," Piers said. "Maybe they can train themselves…?" 

    "Hah! I doubt that'd work. If we protected them while they attacked, though…" Sheba mused, Lifting the blocks and attempting to direct them in place. Carry was certainly much more convenient… 

    "Maybe if we got rid of Lilith…" Jenna thought aloud. "But… Do you think she would be weaker than Menardi and Karst, or stronger?" 

    Felix paused for a moment. "I suppose she'd be stronger. Karst was certainly stronger than Menardi, especially since she had the thought of revenge on her mind… And now Lilith has to live up to both of them… She'd be stronger, definitely." 

    "Does she have a partner?" Sheba said suddenly. 

    "I think so. King Hydros said his name was… Altair, I believe. But he said that Altair didn't seem to do much with Lilith—Certainly unlike Saturos and Agatio." Piers, noticing that Sheba was getting very frustrated very quickly, traded the Carry Stone for the Lift Gem. 

    "Thanks. Do you think… maybe… Altair would… switch sides? Since, after all, he's not doing anything, which is quite unlike what Saturos and Agatio would do…" Sheba asked hesitantly, Carrying the blocks. Piers hand-carried the stones and set them in place. Psynergy was a useful power. 

    "…Possibly, but I doubt it," Felix stated. He helped Piers to hand-carry the stones. 

    Jenna frowned. "Well, why don't we meet up with Garet and the others later to discuss it?" 

    "Don't you mean… _Isaac_?" Sheba asked slyly, grinning. Jenna flushed red. 

    "Yes, okay?! _Isaac_ and the others! Satisfied, Sheba?!" she screeched. 

    "Jenna! Don't yell at Sheba," Felix scolded. Jenna 'hmph'ed in return. 

    "No, it's okay, Felix. And yes, Jenna, I certainly am satisfied." Sheba grinned. "After five years, you finally admit it. It's too bad that Isaac doesn't seem to have any romantic interest in you…" 

    "Huh? How do _you_ know?" Jenna asked, suspiciously. Sheba's grin widened. 

    "Let's just say that I manipulated Psynergy to my advantage…" 

    "_What_?! You Mind Read him?!" 

    "Hey, just because Ivan vowed that he wouldn't doesn't mean that _I_ did…!" 

    "Sheba, that's so… so… _rude_! You intruded on his privacy!" 

    "But don't you want to know who he's interested in?" Sheba asked in a singsong voice. "I'm sure you'd be surprised." 

    "You know what, fine! Yes, I'll play along—I _do_ want to know!" Jenna admitted. 

    "As a matter of fact… I do too," Felix admitted as well. Sheba raised an eyebrow. 

    "And you, Piers?" she asked, turning to the Lemurian. He paused in carrying the stone. 

    "Well…" 

    Sheba grinned. "Wonderful. But… I'm not going to tell you!" 

    "Hey!" Jenna squawked. "That's mean." 

    "Wasn't it _you_ that was telling _me_ about keeping Isaac's thoughts private?" Sheba asked, amused. Jenna frowned. 

    "Oh, fine. That's not important, anyways." 

    "Are you sure?" 

    "Be quiet, Sheba! We were talking about Lilith, right?!" 

    "No, we were talking about meeting up with _Isaac_." 

    "…Sheba, _be quiet_!" 

    Sheba laughed, and the task of rebuilding the buildings and bridges was forgotten as Jenna chased Sheba around Lemuria, much to the surprise and amusement of the Lemurians. Felix set another stone in place. 

    "Do you think we should leave now?" Piers asked. The battle may soon have become bloody… 

    "No," Felix replied, smiling. "It wouldn't hurt to see the outcome of the 'battle', would it…?" 

    Piers grinned. "And I was thinking that you were overprotective of your sister." 

    Felix simply laughed in return. 

**:·~§~·:**

    **Author's Notes**: It still has an unfinished feel to it. Hmm. I'll probably revise it some other time. Second chapter will probably come out around Friday (January 16th, 2004), since I have no school. That is, of course, if my parents don't decide to take me out on a trip. 

    **Version**: 0.90 

    **Word Count**: 3,947 words, excluding Author's Notes and ramble. 4,280 words with. 

    **Written**: January 10th, 2004 through January 11th, 2004. 

    **Posted**: January 11th, 2003. 


End file.
